9 habits you need to start today to stop dementia and Alzheimer’s before it starts

Considering the 7.7 million dementia cases reported annually, it is fair to say that it has turned into a huge global issue. Although dementia mostly affects elderly individuals, it shouldn’t be by any means considered as normal part of aging. Understanding this condition better helps prevent it from happening to you or your close ones.

What is Dementia?

Dementia is not a disease, but actually, a symptoms caused y other symptoms or injuries that impact the brain, such as stroke or Alzheimer`s. It is manifested by decline in cognitive function, including loss in

• Orientation
• Ability to process thought/ thinking
• Memory
• Judgment
• Learning capacity
• Comprehension
• Calculation
• Language

This decline of brain function is typically accompanied by loss of emotional control, motivation, and social behavior.

Forms of Dementia

• Vascular Dementia
• Dementia with Lewy bodies
• Frontotemporal dementia ( A group of disease affecting the frontal lobe of the brain)

7 Habits to Prevent Dementia

1. Adequate Vitamin D

The major role of vitamin D is aiding the intestines in absorbing calcium, zinc, phosphorus, and magnesium. Unfortunately, nearly 45-75 percent of adults are vitamin D deficient.

Currently, the recommended intake of vitamin D for adults under 69 years of age is 600 IU daily and 800 IU for people over 70. However, the vitamin D council suggests daily intakes of 5000 IU, while most health practitioners have started suggesting disease of 1000-10000 IU.

While sun exposure is one of the best ways to boost your vitamin D levels, other good sources of this vitamin include cod liver oil, salmon, sardines, tuna, liver, and fortified yogurt.

2.  Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fats are of utmost importance for the human body, particularly for learning and memory in adults and early cognitive development in children. It is found in the cell membranes, and higher levels of omega-3 fats in the brain cells are believed to boost their communication with the rest of the cells in the body.

Despite the fact that they haven’t been shown to work for those in later stages of dementia, it has been scientifically confirmed that supplementation in the initial stages may improve the symptoms.

Good sources of omega-3 fatty acids include spinach, walnuts, soybeans, chia seeds, flaxseed oil, and oily fish like salmon, tuna, herring, and mackerel.

3. Leafy Greens

It has been scientifically shown that people eating a serving of leafy greens daily actually had the same cognitive function of those 11 years younger.  It is believed that the brain-boosting effects of leafy greens are due to their high beta carotene, vitamin K, and folate levels. While additional research is needed in terms of their role on dementia prevention, consuming them regularly is still a good idea. Some of the best choices include asparagus, kale, collard greens, spinach, and Brussels sprouts.

4. Get Proper Sleep

Multiple studies have shown that sleep deprivation, especially chronic, may notably increase the risk of the onset of dementia. In addition to this, a specific lack of non-REM sleep may increase the risk for memory loss. While sleep is not a successful tool to fight off dementia, it surely does play a role in preventing it.

5. Decrease Inflammation

Chronic inflammation that stems from lack of sleep, poor diet, and stress is not only leading to diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, but it also affects the brain and its longevity. Chronic inflammation has been found to cause alternations in the brain structure and is now associated with dementia and Alzheimer`s.

Some of the best anti-inflammatory foods include probiotics, turmeric, olive oil, omega-3 fats, leafy greens, nuts and seeds, and vitamin D rich foods.

6. Increase Physical Activity

When combined with well-balanced diet, a regular exercise regimen may lower the risk of dementia. Apart from its cardiovascular benefits, physical activity also increases oxygen and blood flow to the brain, keeping it young.

The best part is that the exercise doesn’t have to be intense, as getting a 30-minute walk daily can be of great benefit, too. For optimal results, include some strength training and cardiovascular exercise a few times weekly.

7. Make Social Connections

Growing evidence suggests that maintaining social connections keeps one mentally active and lowers the risk of dementia. While researchers are not sure how this all works, they believe that mental and social stimulations improves brain`s connections on cellular level.

Doing a crossword puzzle and other mind games is quite beneficial, but even more so is doing those activities with other people. In other words, hang out with your friends and family more, doing anything you like to get mentally engaged.

source: http://besthealthyguide.com/

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Eat more mushrooms if you want to avoid dementia and Alzheimer’s, study suggests

Dementia is an umbrella term form a decline in mental ability that sometimes goes to the extent of interfering with day-to-day activities.  Alzheimer is the most prevalent type of dementia.

Dementia is an unspecific disease characterized with a wide plethora of symptoms linked to a decline in memory and other thinking skills. As mentioned above, Alzheimer`s is the most common type, accounting for 60-80 percent of cases.

Dementia is often improperly referred to as ‘senility’ and most people consider it as normal sign of aging.  However, the truth is that it isn’t always triggered by aging. For instance, vascular dementia, which is the second most prevalent type of dementia, occurs after a stroke.  There are many different conditions that cause symptoms of dementia, such as vitamin deficiencies and thyroid problems.

Although the symptoms of dementia can vary, at least two of the core mental functions below must be impaired to be considered dementia:

• Visual perception
• Communication and language
• Reasoning and judgment
• Memory
• Ability to focus and pay attention

While many changes in the brain responsible for the onset of dementia are permanent and tend to worsen over time, memory and thinking issues caused by the following conditions may improve once the condition is properly addressed:

• Thyroid problems
• Vitamin deficiencies
• Depression
• Medication side effects
• Excess use of alcohol

The treatment depends on the cause. While there is not cure for most progressive dementias, there are drug treatments capable of temporarily improving the symptoms.  As prevention is always better than the cure, this article focuses on non-drug therapy that has been scientifically shown to help protect against dementia and Alzheimer`s.

According to a 2017 study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, certain edible mushrooms contain bioactive components that help prevent neurodegenerative diseases like dementia and Alzheimer`s disease.  This study is the first of its kind to support the potential role of mushrooms as foods to reduce or delay the onset of this disease.

“The current study might stimulate the identification of more food materials that are neuroprotective,” stated Journal of Medicinal Food Editor-in-Chief Sampath Parthasarathy, Medical Xpress reported.

This study focuses on mushrooms` components and their cognitive and neuroprotective benefits. According to Parthasarathy, this is one of the first studies done on the brain benefits of certain foods.

Mushrooms have been used for thousands of years, both for their taste and the medicinal properties they offer. As reported by Dr. Joseph Mercola, edible fungi are loaded with vitamin D and are capable of boosting the immune system.  Their anti-inflammatory properties can be beneficial for individuals suffering from renal failure, stroke damage, rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma.

Needless to say, not all mushrooms are safe and healthy to eat. It has been shown that eating psilocybin, a specific type of fungi, provides a temporary mind-bending perspective on reality.

Researchers have long studied the medical properties of ‘magic mushrooms.  As reported by Medical Daily, the psychedelic drug has the ability to treat those with depression or alleviate the psychological effects of cancer.

source: http://besthealthyguide.com

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Study Shows “High Cholesterol” Reduces Alzheimer’s Dementia Risk

Doctors usually prescribe drugs called statins to the patients who have high cholesterol levels. In fact, statin drugs are the most prescribed drugs in the whole world. Statistically, one of three senior women and one of two senior men take these drugs. The sale of statins is one the most profitable activities of pharmaceutical companies.

At the same time, we are also witnessing an epidemic of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (which is now the sixth leading cause of death in the USA).

So does this mean that there is a connection between the wide use of statins and dementia (or Alzheimer’s)? And can statins really protect us from heart disease?

We will need to examine the following evidence in order to get the answers to these questions:

The Brain Needs Cholesterol!

• The brain consists of 60% fat and most of that fat is cholesterol.
• Cholesterol is a crucial part of every single brain cell.
• Your brain cells will die if there is not an adequate amount of cholesterol.
• You may find it hard to believe, but 25% of the cholesterol in the body is in the nervous system.
• Drugs that reduce cholesterol levels prevent the production of neurotransmitters, which causes memory loss and impairs other cognitive functions.
• It is scientifically proven that high cholesterol levels actually reduce the risk of development of dementia in elderly people.

Statin Side Effects

• Statin drugs such as Mevacor, Crestor, and Lipitor are linked to memory loss and learning difficulties.
• Regular use of statins reduces the production of a heart-protecting nutrient called CoQ10, which leads to constant fatigue and frequent pain in the muscles.
• Some studies even suggest that people can become anxious, depressed and even suicidal if they take statin drugs.
• According to Psychology Today, people whose diet is low in fats and especially low in cholesterol are at much higher risk of developing depression. They also have a higher suicide risk (click here for more info: http://www.livescience.com/46532-suicide-risk-adhd.html)
• Pharmaceutical companies are legally required to put a warning label on every bottle, which states that the use statins increases the risk of memory loss, confusion, muscle weakness, liver damage, and diabetes.
• One recent study has shown that 48% of the women who regularly take statin drugs will develop diabetes over time. It was also noted that this increases the risk of dementia.
• The use of statins causes loss of libido because cholesterol is a building block of sex hormones.

Now when you know everything about the side-effects of statins, you must be wondering how to reduce cholesterol naturally? But, you may be asking yourself a wrong question since the real question that must be answered is – Do high cholesterol levels really cause heart diseases?

Here are some facts which will help you learn the answer

• Statistically, only 25% of all the people who had experienced a heart attack have high levels of cholesterol.
• The rest 75% have normal cholesterol levels.

The Cholesterol-Heart Disease Myth

There is scientific evidence which suggests that fat and cholesterol don’t cause heart disease. According to a study published in the National Institutes of Health, the participants who increased their fat intake to 50% of calories had actually experienced improvements in their nutritional status. In addition to this, this change didn’t negatively affect the risk factors of heart disease. It has been discovered that diets rich in fat reduces triglycerides and normalizes LDL (the bad cholesterol). This is a shocking revelation considering the fact that almost everyone believes in the theory which claims that “fat causes heart disease”.

The graph below made of data provided by the World Health Organization clearly shows that there isn’t a direct correlation between cholesterol and diseases. You can notice that Switzerland (whose citizens have highest levels of cholesterol) is a country with one of the lowest rates of heart diseases in the world.

The AHA’s “Prudent” Diet Is a Killer

The landmark Lyon Diet Heart Study included 650 participants who were overweight, smoked, sedentary, and with very high cholesterol levels. Or in other words, the participants were people at extremely high risk of experiencing heart attacks. Half of them were put on a Mediterranean diet while the other half were put on the so-called “prudent” Western-type diet that was recommended by the American Heart Association. After some time, the study was stopped before it was completed because it was deemed unethical. Not a single participant of the ones who were on a Mediterranean diet had experienced a heart attack despite the fact that their cholesterol remained at the same level. But on the other hand, many of the people on the “prudent” diet were dying, so the researchers thought that it was unethical to continue with the study.

The Low-Fat Fail

It looks like some of the experts are finally starting to believe that low-fat diets do not prevent heart disease or obesity.

Here is a statement of Harvard School of Public Health about the “low-fat fail”:

“Well, it’s time to end the myth regarding low-fat diets. The low-fat approach to eating hasn’t helped us control weight or become healthier. Why hasn’t cutting fat from the diet paid off as expected? Detailed research — much of it done at Harvard has shown that the total amount of fat in the diet is not linked to weight or disease.”

The graph below shows how the introduction of low-fat guidelines by the US government in the 1970’s is correlated with the ever-increasing rates of obesity among the citizens of the USA.

Treat the Patient, Not the Numbers

Unfortunately, most doctors are still more worried about reducing the levels of cholesterol than the state of the overall health of their patients.

The common testing for HDL (good) cholesterol or LDL (bad) cholesterol levels is completely outdated idea.

The test that can give you a good information about your risk of developing heart disease is the measuring of the LDL particle size. Large LDL molecules are just moving through the blood stream without making any harm. On the other hand, small LDL molecules are caused by oxidation and are very dangerous because they can attach to the artery walls and cause inflammation, thus leading to a development of plaque.

If the HDL and LDL levels of cholesterol are not good predictors of heart disease, then what is?

Two of the most important markers are your small particle LDL and your ratio of triglycerides to HDL. For instance, if your triglyceride level is 100 and your HDL is 50, this gives you a ratio of 2 (a ratio of 2 or under is a good one). If the ratio is higher, it is recommended to lower your triglycerides. You can do that if you reduce the intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates and increase the intake of healthy fats.

What is the real Cause of Heart Disease?

According to Dr. Jonny Bowden and Dr. Stephen Sinatra, the authors of The Great Cholesterol Myth , these are the five biggest contributors to heart diseases:

• Inflammation is linked with every degenerative disease. It causes micro injuries to your arteries, which leads to a formation of plaque.
• Sugar is highly inflammatory and its regular consumption leads to a formation of plaque. In addition to this, it is scientifically proven that sugar increases stress hormones.
• Stress greatly increases blood pressure. In fact, blood pressure is a measure of stress applied to artery walls.
• Free radicals attack LDL by converting it from large (safe) into small (harmful) particle LDL.
• Trans fats increase the levels of bad cholesterol and reduce good cholesterol. They also increase inflammation and raise triglycerides.

Here are some simple recommendations of Dr. Bowden and Dr. Sinatra that can help prevent heart disease:

• Immediately reduce the intake of sugar, grains, and vegetable oils that are full of omega-6 fats (such as canola oil).
• Consume more heart-healthy fats like olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, and avocado.
• Exercise more often.
• Reduce stress.
• Drink alcohol in moderate amounts.
• Avoid smoking at any costs.
• Add quality supplements to your diet (like omega-3 essential fatty acids)

Why Doctors Still Advise Their Patients To Use Statin Drugs?

One recent study has shown that 65% of doctors don’t warn their patients about the side effects of statin drugs because:

• They don’t believe that there’s a connection between the use of statins and increased rates of heart diseases
• Or they have been “influenced” by the pharmaceutical giants.

Pharmaceutical companies have a huge interest in continuing to promote the use of these drugs because the statins industry is worth a whopping 31 billion dollars.

source: http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com

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The Vital Key To Prevent Aging, Cancer, Heart Disease, Dementia And More

Our bodies are in a constant battle with the environmental toxins and stressors.  Therefore, giving them weapons (antioxidants) to fight off these stressors and prevent cell damage is of utmost importance.

Glutathione (GSH) is an antioxidant which keeps other antioxidants, such as vitamins E and E and CoQ10. It prevents free radical damage by disarming them before they get the chance to attack the cells. While only an estimate, our cells are attacked 10,000 times by free radicals on a daily basis. Glutathione is the most potent antioxidant in the body and it is made of three amino acids: cysteine, glycine, and glutamine. Due to its potency, it is referred to as “the master antioxidant.”

This antioxidant helps with oxidant stress by recharging other antioxidants. According to the scientists, our lifetime is determined by the amount of GSH in every cell in our bodies.

The ideal ratio of glutathione is 10 percent inactive and 90 percent active for the purpose of balancing antioxidants, cells, and removing toxins. The bad news is that our bodies are exposed to too many toxins for this ratio to remain stable.

The Importance of Glutathione!                                    

• Lack of GSH leads to an overload of toxins and fat-soluble toxins which are then stored in the fat cells. The cells in the breast, prostate, and central nervous system are the most susceptible cells. Since the body produces more of the dangerous free radicals, it needs larger quantities of glutathione.
• As mentioned a few times earlier, glutathione is one of the most protective against viruses, diseases, radiation pollution, drugs, oxidative stress, and toxins. It fights off carcinogens, cellular toxins, and it repairs damaged cells.
• The percentage of GSH decreases as we age and it is estimated that it declines at a rate of 8-12 percent every ten years after the age of 20. The rate of depletion can be affected by infection, toxic load, and the use of drugs. A decrease at 70 percent causes serious health issues such as neurological disease and even cancer.

How to Increase Glutathione?

Increasing GSH is not that easy as taking a pill, so there is no need to waste money on supplementation.  But, there are other ways to increase our protection with GSH. Among them are:

• Consume more antioxidants, such as glycine, glutamic acid, and cysteine. Even though low in amino acids, spinach, onion, turmeric, avocados, and cruciferous vegetables are a solid source. Other sources include wheat germ, asparagus, broccoli, watermelon, tomatoes, walnuts, organic eggs and grass-fed whey protein.
• Sometimes, an IV of GSH would have an instant result, but once it stops, so does the flow of glutathione.
• Vitamin D stimulates the production of GSH. Since our modern society is extremely deficient, the optimal levels of this vitamin should be 60-100ng/ ml.
• Glutamine is nutrient which boosts intestinal health and serves as a precursor to glutathione, which is considered as the rate-limiting nutrient for the formation of glutathione.
• Curcumin is of utmost importance when it comes to increasing glutathione levels.

To sum up, to prevent the damage caused by toxins, stressors, and radiation, it is important to be armed with antioxidants.

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12 early warning signs of dementia that anyone over 40 needs to know

Dementia is an umbrella term for a decline in mental ability, manifested by symptoms like memory loss and difficulties with thinking. It is a terrible condition which affects both the lives of the victims and their family members.

What is dementia?

As mentioned above, dementia itself is not a disease, rather a general term used to describe and categorize certain mental disorders. Among them are:

• Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Vascular Dementia
• Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD)
• Dementia with Lewy Bodies
• Frontotemporal Dementia
• Huntington’s Disease
• Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome
• Alzheimer’s

There are more than 100 different types of dementia, all of which are progressive and damage the brain more and more as time passes by. Alzheimer`s is the most prevalent type of dementia, accounting for over 50 percent of all dementia cases. While only an estimate, about 5 million Americans suffer from some form of dementia.

Dementia Affects Different People in Different Ways

Dementia affects people differently; depending on their emotional and physical stability, personality, and the support they are given. While dementia is incurable at this point, early diagnosis can go a long way in helping to address the problem on time.

12 Early Warning Signs of Dementia

1. Short Term Memory Problems

Short term memory problems are one of the most common early signs of dementia. Initially, these changes are very subtle, causing the individual to remember events of many years ago, while failing to recall more recent events. They may also be unable to remember where they put something or why they went somewhere.

2. Difficulty with Choosing a Suitable Word

When the person has difficulty being able to choose a suitable word, it is very likely that dementia is setting in.  Very often, having a meaningful conversation can be very difficult for these people, and might take much more time than it would do normally. If frequently happens to them to try desperately to remember a specific word or choose the one appropriate for the situation.

3. Mood Swings

Mood swings are yet another common early sign of dementia.  Its victims often become depressed for short period. In addition to this, a change of personality is also possible, meaning that if someone who is ordinarily shy may become outgoing and gregarious.

4. Lethargy

Lethargy is very common in those who are in the early stage of dementia.  Victims are likely to lose interest in doing anything, even those things they enjoyed doing earlier.   They may be hesitant about going out as well as showing symptoms of losing interest in being with their loved ones.

5. Difficulties with Making Plans or Problem Solving

People in early stages of dementia often face difficulties in making plans or trying to follow a plan they have made earlier.  Others may also face problems when trying to deal with numbers.   Simply put, they experience a notable decline in the ability to focus on anything.

6. Finding it Difficult to Complete Ordinary Everyday Chores

Another very common symptom of dementia is then one finds it difficult to complete simple, day-to-day activities that have been previously done without even thinking about them.  In most cases the victim finds it difficult to drive to a once familiar place or remember the rules of certain simple game.

7. Difficulty in Understanding Time

Time is relative, and making associations with the future, present, or the past can prove challenging.  Victims very often fail to understand why something isn’t happening at the moment and being told that something will happen the next day might seem odd for them.

8. Having Difficulty Recognizing Places

Victims may sometimes not recognize places and even being at home may seem unfamiliar. In addition to this, they may realize that they are in a certain place out of the blue, without being aware to recall how they got there.

9. Experiencing Problems with Writing

Just like these people have difficulty to find a suitable word, they also find it difficult to choose the right word when it comes to writing, which makes their job of writing more challenging and even frustrating.

10. Becoming Repetitive

Repeating something they have already said a few times earlier in the conversation is another symptom to look for in a dementia sufferer.  Victims often feel the urge to ask a question they already had asked or answered earlier.  Repetition towards actions like having a shave, combing hair, or brushing teeth is also possible.

11. Trying to Avoid Change

While many people are simply not fond of changes, the realization in those suffering from dementia can be frightening.  This particularly applies to certain aspects of their experiences like getting lost.  In order to avoid this, they will try anything to avoid change.

12. Not Being Able to Follow a Storyline

As already discussed earlier, dementia sufferers are likely to experience difficulty in focusing and concentration.  This is often manifested by inability to follow a storyline,  either while watching a movie or during an event someone is relating.

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source: http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com

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